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The Newest Animal Linguist on the Block
Alex, the gray parrot, and Washoe, the chimpanzee, (both recently deceased) are back in the news in this month’s National Geographic Magazine, in an article about understanding the animal’s mind. In it, the newest kid on the “smarts” block is featured. Are you ready? Yep, a Border Collie named Betsy, who knows more than 300 words. Look to being hearing lots more about her.
In the meantime, I thought you might enjoy this New York Times tribute to Alex and … Read More
Why Are There Only Boring Car Colors?
Lying here, coughing my brains out, I have more time than usual to contemplate the deep mysteries of life. Like why have car colors become so boring?
Think about it. What are our options? Take a look at any parking lot and this is what you’ll see. All pulled out of the same sock drawer of mismatched darks and lights. Pretty darn dull if you ask me.
There was a time when you could pick a car from nearly any … Read More
Teach Your Dog Hand Signals and Save Her Life
Nutmeg saved her old dog, Ezra’s life today. From all the way across the front yard and down across the street!
Ezra, Nutmeg’s beloved 12 year old boxer, got out the front door and wandered across the street, before Nutmeg had a chance to realize. With four kids and a busy house, it happens. But Nutmeg did see Ezra in time to watch the speeding car heading straight for her, as she was about to step into the street.
Nutmeg … Read More
Buying Time
What I like most about my laptop is the freedom it gives me to set up shop anywhere in the house. This evening, I’ve parked myself in the living room by the fireplace. There’s nothing I love better than working by the warmth of a crackling fire.
Having finished her homework, Cait is drawn by the cozy flames. With a good book in hand, she makes herself comfortable in the chair across from me, knowing full well that in a … Read More
Hello Old Friend
Can you see him? He’s in the middle of the two clumps of trees. (Sorry the photos aren’t clearer. He was all the way across the pond, toward the ridge. Even with the digital 12x zoom, it was hard to get a good shot from this distance at dusk.)
I called out to say hello, and he turned to look. He’s such a big boy now.
This coyote and I go way back. All the way back to a field … Read More
The Great Debate
Finnegan gets some outdoor time under a watchful eye.
There’s a great debate raging at our house. When I got Finn for Cait, I made the executive decision that he was going to be an indoor cat. Knowing that the average lifespan of outdoor cats is around four years, and having lost my most favoritest cat in the whole world ever (yep, at around four years old) to a wild animal, I decided that for both Finn’s lifespan and Cait’s … Read More
Why Some Gardening Will Be in Most People’s Future
Barbara Kingsolver brought the idea of locivore food growing and buying to the fore with her book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. In it, she speaks to the value of focusing on eating locally instead of using fossil fuel to transport food long distances.
While Kingsolver feels a moral and environmental obligation to do so, most people are starting to feel a financial obligation to do so. The price of fresh fruits and vegetables (especially organic) is … Read More